Radio Mystery Theater A Portrait of Death 0077

Original Airdate: April 18, 1974

Episode 0077 "A Portrait of Death"

*****(Same Title as Episode 0337, But Different Story)*****

Original Story by Sam Dann Directed by Himan Brown Host: E.G. Marshall

An artist who is renown for his portraits has the misfortune of having his models die shortly after he completes their painting. His next subject: his sister in law which causes his brother much anguish and worry.

Welcome to the terrifying world of your own imagination. One day a young man named Otis Manley Carter stood before a great work of art in the Metropolitan Museum in New York. It was a portrait so beautiful that it brought tears to his eyes. And Otis Manley Carter whispered, I would give my soul to be able to paint like that. It was an idle remark, spoken without thinking, on the spur of the moment. How was Otis Manley Carter to know that someone might be listening?

At the age of 30 Otis Manley Carter was hailed as the world's foremost living artist. He towered above his contemporaries. To describe his work, one had to compare it with the great masters of the past. No one, but no one painting today could breathe life into a portrait to match Otis Manley Carter. And yet, just one week before his 31st birthday, Otis made the announcement that would stun the civilized world. He was finished with art. Never again would his brush touch paint to canvas. He would neither amplify his statement nor answer questions. He simply disappeared. And only two people in all the world knew the reason why. One, of course, was Otis himself. The other was a detective on the New York City police force, Sergeant Burt Denison.

Starring: Nat Polen, Marian Seldes, Jackson Beck, Roger DeKoven, Jack Grimes